delivery

As much as we would love to prolong the magical beauty of freshly cut flowers to possibly forever, it’s unfortunately not an option. However, there are a few ways you can make sure your flowers stay fresh longer than average. These are our pro tips on how to keep those beauties as fresh as a daisy. Pun intended.

Location, Location, Location

Prevent your mood from withering down as the flowers wither down by placing your flowers in the right place. Not in the place that looks aesthetically the most beautiful to you, or according to feng shui, but in a place that’s going to suit flowers and aid their perseverance. Thus, avoid placing your fresh flowers in direct sunlight, or in a drafty place. Even fans are not welcome near freshly cut flowers. Sorry.

Fruits and Flowers Don’t Mix

Although in theory it seems like a creative and genuine idea, keeping fresh flowers next to fruits is a big no-no. It’s just like two siblings who obviously love each other, but constantly seem to pick a fight. Flowers and fruits don’t mix. Why? Simply put, fruits can emit gas that can cause flowers to wither more quickly. Try to keep them as far away from each other as possible.

Fresh Flowers in A Vase? You Need to Cut It.

It’s important to trim the stems of your flowers before putting them in water. A great tip is to trim the stems at an angle, so that the surface for soaking up water through the stem is bigger and enables flowers to soak up more moisture.

Satisfy Their Cravings

Flowers, just as us, need food. Even those that have been cut and prepared to to be stored in a vase. But, before you get tempted to share your burger, go to your local florist and get a packet (if you haven’t already) that usually comes with flower bouquets. This packet actually contains nutrients for the flowers, as well as certain chemicals that kill the bacteria, which cause flowers to wither prematurely.

Technology is Bad for Them

Keeping your flowers as fresh as possible, can only be possible if you store them away from electronics and appliances. The heat and radiation these object usually emit can have a bad effect on flowers, and make them wilt faster.

Next time you get a flower delivery in Singapore or anywhere around the world, think of these tips. They are life saviours!

A Better Florist provides same day delivery for fresh, hand-crafted flowers. Designed by our professional florist, each bouquet is stunning and long-lasting. We make it easy to send love to the people you love. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get more promo codes and discounts off blooms!

A Better Florist founder Steve Feiner is a pretty convincing salesman. He fixes his intense gaze on you and gesticulates wildly as he describes why you should take his business seriously. Then, as you get it, he beams a wide, satisfied smile. It’s the same reaction he wants to inspire in his customers with his service. “Smiles guaranteed,” the website claims.

A Better Florist as a company name probably needs little explanation. The Singapore-based startup aims to provide just that: a better flower delivery service. You go on the site, pick a flower arrangement (there are currently four different ones available), choose a time and place for delivery, and add a quick note. The startup will deliver the bouquet and throw in a hand-written card for a personal touch. It will also confirm delivery with a personalized photo on the spot (its Instagram account is a good indication of what it tries to do).

Better than the competition

“Florists suck,” Steve tells me. “And they suck for a number of reasons.”

He says too many middlemen in the process drive the prices up and bring profit margins down. Also, flowers are usually already 10 to 16 days old before they get to customers’ hands. And finally, the overall experience is lacking. “These are primarily family-run businesses who haven’t really evolved since the advent of the telephone,” he adds.

That leads to experiences like a particularly unpleasant one involving an ex-girlfriend. “Two and a half years ago, it was her birthday, and I wanted to get her flowers,” Steve recalls. It was a floral disaster. “The flowers arrived a day after her birthday, they died shortly after, she was not happy. It was scarring to say the least.”

That was one of the contributing factors that spurred him on to found his company. “Giving flowers should be about sharing an emotion,” Steve says. So A Better Florist is trying to fix what’s wrong with flower delivery. The startup ships directly from flower farms in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands, and its flowers are only two days old, instead of 10. It also cuts out all the middlemen, so it can keep its prices about 20 percent lower than the competition.

“We fix the experience,” Steve says. “[We have] a mobile site that works, friendly customer service, order tracking.” One could argue these are the basics a business must take care of, but apparently there are those who ignore them – at their peril, he thinks. Pleasing the customer is his top goal at the moment, he tells me. His email address is front and center on the company’s website, and he does a lot of the deliveries personally, of course with a smile.

From SF to SG via Google

Steve first tried running his own startup back in college in the US, a kind of classifieds platform for local communities. Despite winning some competitions, nothing really came out of it. He went into consulting for another startup, and eventually joined Google in San Francisco to do ecommerce sales and business strategy. It was the big G that brought him to Singapore.

Once in Southeast Asia, the entrepreneurship dengue bit him again. He discovered that flowers were a particularly attractive space in ecommerce. He conducted customer and industry interviews and did some research to find out more.

So with all this in mind, Steve returned from his sabbatical to Google, only to resign and go off to found A Better Florist. “I enjoyed Google, it’s a wonderful place to work,” he says. “But I wanted to take a risk. The regret of not doing this would be insurmountable [for me].”

The thrill of trying out his idea was also the reason he stayed in Singapore. “Singapore’s been amazing to me,” he says. “If you want to do something transformational in this world, it’s here. The world is evolving here far faster than it is anywhere else. It’s got a long way to go, it’s still the Wild Wild West, but it’s cool to be in the Wild Wild West,” he laughs.

Data-driven smiles

A Better Florist currently has a team of four, with a fifth recruit coming on board. Steve says he’s fortunate in having a team behind him that knows exactly what the company needs, even if he’s not always sure how to go about it. “It’s been amazing to be able to just trust my team,” he says.

It’s still early days for the company, and no doubt it will need to think seriously about issues like logistics and capacity when it scales up and demand rises. “There’s going to be stuff that changes when 10 or 50 thousand people get on,” Steve says. “When you get on that level, you’re able to make more informed and optimized decisions. Right now we’re trying to bridge the gap [to that point].”

The startup makes sure to use data to inform its decisions, something that helps set it apart from competition. “We’ve done tons of customer interviews, tons of user experience testing,” Steve says. Even an initiative such as distributing advertising flyers for the service provides the company with information that allows it to optimize its offering.

The company is currently self-funded, with just a little external investment so far. Steve says the company’s goal at the moment is to grow 10 percent week-on-week, every week. The startup hopes to have perfected its product in Singapore by the end of the year, and it will also look toward expanding to Kuala Lumpur.

But whatever happens, Steve is sticking to his key mantra: “We want to make our users happy, we won’t sacrifice that,” he says. “At the end of the day, I choose to take action. I’m not searching for my next meal tonight, I have the opportunity to do this, and I feel fortunate for it. I’m not gonna waste that. I might as well take my chance,” he adds, flashing his winning smile.

A Better Florist provides same day delivery for fresh, hand-crafted flowers. Designed by our professional florist, each bouquet is stunning and long-lasting. We make it easy to send love to the people you love. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get more promo codes and discounts off blooms!